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October 31st is the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his 95 Thesis, which led to the Reformation movement. It began a movement toward a belief, again, in Scripture. The Bible is our sustenance (Matthew 4); the Bible is a sword that divides the the soul from the Spirit (Hebrews 4); the Bible is a mirror that reveals who you are (James); the Bible is the Word of God.

Some of us still think that what we do determines who we are, but who we are is determined by the Word of God. the Bible gives us our identity. There is only one Person who can tell you who you are (and it’s not even you!); it’s your Maker.

2 Timothy 3: 1-9: But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

The problem is not an external one; it’s an internal one. We can’t just fix the “doings”. We can’t just do “better”. We have to change. The only way to change completely is to become new from the inside-out.

2 Timothy 3:10-14: You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom[a]you learned it15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

What – or Who – are we going to let define us? We cannot get our identity from the world; we have to get it from the Bible.

2 Timothy 3: 16-17: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of Godmay be complete, equipped for every good work.

Scripture tells us about our identity, and then completes the work. We don’t read the Bible to learn what we are supposed to do, but to learn who we are. The Bible rebukes and trains and teaches the right way of life because it tells us our identity.

You are a child of God (John 1); you are a new creation (2 Corinthians); you are you are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2); you are an alien and a stranger in this world (1 Peter); you are part of the true vine (John 15); you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5); you are a child of light and not of darkness (1 Thessalonians 5); you are a child of God (Galatians 3); you are righteous and holy (Ephesians 4); you are born of God and the evil one cannot touch you (1 John 5); you are an enemy of the devil (1 Peter 5); you are no longer a slave to sin, but you are a child of God (Romans 6).

Not even your mistakes can take away the fact that, in Jesus, you are a child of God. The deeds of the darkness have nothing to do with you because of who you are. You have nothing to do with philosophies, perversions, or the things of the world. Are you living by the breath of culture, or are you living by the breath of God? What – Who – is your life source?

God didn’t save the world because He hates your sin. He saved the world because He loves you. And He knows who you are, because He made you! We have to keep coming back to who we are, as He declares as True.

Biblical references: 2 Timothy 3

Questions:

When you read scripture, are you reading it as a history book or as a mirror?